External adapter for magnetic stripe card reader

ABSTRACT

An adaptor in accordance with the present invention allows a conventional magnetic stripe card POS reader to receive information from contact-based or wireless sources while maintaining the concurrent ability of the reader to interact with a magnetic stripe card. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the adaptor includes an inductor capable of generating a magnetic field of sufficient power to couple with a head of a magnetic stripe card reader through the housing of the reader device. In this manner, the adaptor can be positioned external to the reader device, leaving the slot of the reader accessible for conventional interactions with magnetic stripe cards. Selective inductive communication with individual heads of the reader device may exploit their differing sensitivity to external magnetic fields generated by the adaptor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The instant nonprovisional patent application claims priority from U.S.provisional patent application No. 60/647,274, filed Jan. 24, 2005, andincorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The concept of magnetic stripe credit cards was generally embraced bymerchants and consumers when standards were adopted by the industry inthe 1970's. The International Airline Transport Association (IATA) andthe American Banking Association (ABA) defined the standards formagnetic domain encoding for tracks 1 and 2, respectively, of magneticstripe cards. A third track of magnetic stripe cards is still used bysome organizations such as ATM machines for read and write functions,and utilizes unique organization encoding schemes. The InternationalStandards Organization (ISO/IEC 7811) established standards for thearchitectural design and acceptable materials composition of magneticstripe cards.

Electronic/computer “RF proximity chip cards” introduced in the late1980s were originally used for applications such as inventory control.ISO standards 15693 and 14443, sub type A and B, typically define suchcharacteristics of RF proximity chip cards that include operationalfrequencies, electromagnetic coupling distance, and data integrity.These RF proximity chip cards have now increased in popularity for usewith employee access to secure areas such as office buildings. The RFproximity chip cards typically receive power for on-card electronicfunctions via an induced electromagnetic field held within about 10 cmof the communications transceiver. Data is typically transferred to theon-card chip via electromagnetic sub-carriers and switching of theelectromagnetic field.

The integrated circuits resident within these RF proximity chip cardshave continued to improve with low power and the addition ofcryptographical functions that now meet government “strong” encryptionstandards (DES, RSA, etc.) as standardized by Europay Mastercard andVisa (EMV) cryptographic and tamper-proof standards for crytoprocessorchips. As a result, the RF proximity chip cards are slowly replacing themagnetic stripe card for use in financial transactions, primarily due tothe security of the magnetic stripe user data and the ability of the POScard acceptance system to “interrogate” the RF proximity chip card. Thelower fraudulent transactions associated with such a smart card resultsin lower risk, and lower fees for the consumer and merchant.

Even more recently, the increased speed and reduced size of electronicdevices has resulted in the proliferation of powerful and portablepersonal trusted devices, or PTDs. Mobile PTDs including the personaldigital assistant (PDA) and cellular phone now number in the millionsworldwide. The ability of these PTDs to communicate via cellular andwireless ISP networks has been augmented by their ability to exchangedata over short ranges, typically 1 mm-10 meters, for purposes of securedata sharing between PTD devices and such peripheral devices asprinters. These short-range networks are typically referred to aspersonal area networks (PAN). One predominant short-range RFcommunications network standard, defined by the International Electricaland Electronic Engineers association (IEEE), is known as the IEEE802.11(b) standard, and includes such protocols as BLUETOOTH. Other RFcommunications protocols include but are not limited to IEEE 802.11(a)and 802.11(g). A major short-range infra-red (IR) communications networkprotocol, defined by the Infra-red Device Association (IrDA), is knownas the IrDA standard and their present specification is IrDA v1.2.

The variety of functions available to PTDs is increasing rapidly, forexample with remote banking being popularized via the internet andtelephone ordering. Many merchants are now able to use mobiletransaction processing systems with cellular wireless ISP networksproviding bank access and such support functions as consumerauthentication, transaction authorization, event logging, andsettlement. Consumers are now able to access and effect personal accountmaintenance functions via bank websites and similar portals.

Despite this advancement, there remain 21 million world-wide merchantshaving only magnetic stripe card acceptance systems. Many of thesemerchants obtained their magnetic stripe card acceptance system yearsago, and are resistant towards replacing their equipment and undergoingtraining in the use of newer systems. As a result, most new financialcard equipment sales are merely replacement models. Upgrades to newequipment, including merchant systems capable of reading the RFproximity chip cards, is primarily driven by head offices of franchiseor branch retail stores desiring to improve inventory, financialaccounting, and similar functions, who may not necessarily exertinfluence over individual, independent merchants. Yet another barrier toadopting technology for RF proximity chip card transactions is thatmanufacturers of magnetic stripe card acceptance systems may disqualifyany attempt to upgrade their devices through direct modification ofelectrical connections, thereby discouraging upgrades by third partyequipment suppliers.

A problem thus exists whereby the technology for more secureconsumer/user financial data storage and transactions is available, butis compromised by a reluctance of merchants to replace their existingPOS card acceptance systems. Therefore, it can be seen that there is aneed in the art for devices and methods which enable older legacy POScard acceptance systems to be non-invasively adapted to interact withvarious newer technology PTD devices to meet the desires of thetransaction industry, and the desires of the merchants.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An adaptor in accordance with the present invention allows aconventional magnetic stripe card POS reader to receive information fromcontact-based or wireless sources while maintaining the concurrentability of the reader to interact with a magnetic stripe card. Inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the adaptorincludes an inductor capable of generating a magnetic field ofsufficient strength to couple through the housing of the reader device,with a head of a magnetic stripe card reader. Selective inductivecommunication with individual heads of the reader device may exploittheir differing sensitivity to external magnetic fields generated by theadaptor. In this manner, the adaptor can be positioned external to thereader device, leaving the slot of the reader accessible forconventional interactions with magnetic stripe cards.

An embodiment of an adaptor for a magnetic stripe card reader inaccordance with the present invention, comprises, an inductor elementconfigured to be positioned near a magnetic stripe card reader, theinductor element configured to generate a magnetic field of sufficientstrength to penetrate the housing and activate a data recovery circuitin electronic communication with a head of the magnetic stripe cardreader.

An embodiment of a method in accordance with the present invention forcommunicating with a reader head of a magnetic stripe reader device, themethod comprises positioning a module comprising an inductor elementproximate to a housing of a magnetic stripe reader device, and applyinga current to the inductor element to generate a magnetic field ofsufficient strength to penetrate the housing and be sensed by a head ofthe reader device.

An alternative embodiment of a method in accordance with the presentinvention for selectively communicating data to a reader head of amagnetic stripe reader device, comprises, positioning a first inductorand a second inductor proximate to a housing of a magnetic stripe readerdevice, causing the first inductor to generate a first magnetic field ofintensity sufficient to penetrate the housing and be sensed by a moresensitive head of the reader device, and causing the second inductor togenerate a second magnetic field of intensity sufficient to penetratethe housing and be sensed by a less sensitive head of the reader device.

A further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention canbe made by way of reference to the ensuing detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic view of one embodiment of an adaptorsystem in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified exploded view of an inductor module forattachment to the external housing of the reader device.

FIG. 3A shows a perspective photographic view of one type ofconventional magnetic stripe card reader equipped with an inductormodule in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3B shows a simplified cross-sectional view of the system of FIG.3A.

FIG. 4A shows a perspective photographic view of another type ofconventional magnetic stripe card reader equipped with an inductormodule in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4B shows a simplified cross-sectional view of the system of FIG.4A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An adaptor in accordance with the present invention allows aconventional magnetic stripe card reader to interact with other mediasuch as RF proximity chip cards and Infra-Red while retaining thecontinuous ability to receive a magnetic stripe card. In accordance withone embodiment, the adaptor includes an adaptor positioned external to,and affixed to the housing of, the conventional magnetic stripe cardreader device. The adaptor includes elements configured to emit alocalized magnetic field of sufficient strength to communicate a signalthrough the housing to the head of the magnetic stripe card reader.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic view of an adaptor system inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Conventionalpoint-of-sale (POS) magnetic stripe card reader 2 features display 4,keypad 6, and magnetic card swipe slot 8. First magneto-inductive readerhead 10 a is positioned to receive signals from Track One 43 ofconventional magnetic stripe credit card 44. Second magento-inductivereader head 10 b is positioned to receive signals from Track Two 45 ofmagnetic stripe credit card 44.

Adaptor 14 comprises consumer pod (C-Pod) portion 16 in electricalcommunication with merchant pod (M-Pod) portion 18 through cable 20.Consumer pod portion 16 is positioned at a location convenient for thecustomer, who may interact with the adaptor 14 by bringing an RFproximity chip card 97, PTD 99, or other RF or IR transceiver device inproximity to a wireless transceiver 22 to communicate information.

C-Pod portion 16 includes active region 19 proximate to an antenna forinteracting at short range with an RF proximity chip card or otherpersonal trusted device. Active region 19 may be of concave shape to cuea user as to the optimal position of the RF proximity chip card in frontof the antenna. Particular embodiments of the C-Pod may bear anadvertising logo on the active region 19 as generically indicated inFIG. 1. One possible design of a C-Pod structure in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention is depicted in U.S. design patentapplication no. 29/168,943, filed Oct. 10, 2002 which is incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

C-Pod portion 16 may further include visual display region 21. In oneembodiment, four discrete light emitting devices 23 a-d are positionedbehind translucent screen 27 of C-Pod portion 16 and then selectivelylit to indicate progress of a particular transaction. For example,left-most lamp 23 a may be continuously lit to indicate an active powerconnection. Lamps 23 b and 23 c may lit to indicate detection of thepresence of an RF proximity chip card or other user device. Right-mostlamp 23 d may be lit to indicate completion of a successful transaction.Embodiments of C-pod portion 16 may also include apparatus for providingaudio indicia of transaction progress, for example a speaker which emitsa sound after successful completion of the transaction.

C-Pod portion 16 further comprises one or more transceivers 22 incommunication with respective interface processors 24. One example of atransceiver which may be located in the consumer pod portion is aninfrared (IR) transceiver supporting Irda v.1.2 and higher standards forinter-device bi-directional communications. This IR transceiver is ofparticular value for communicating with personal trusted devices (PTD)that may be carried by a consumer or user. Another example of atransceiver that may be located in the consumer pod portion is a radiofrequency proximity transceiver conforming to the ISO 14443 type A or Bstandard or to the ISO 15693 standard. Still another example of atransceiver that may be located in the consumer pod portion is atransceiver conforming to the Bluetooth IEEE 802.11(b) standard, or theIEEE 802.11(a) and (g) standards. Yet another example of a transceiverthat may be located in the C-Pod portion is a wireless transceiverconfigured for wireless or cellular protocols based upon CDMA, CDPD,GPRS, GSM, SMS and similar wireless communication protocols.

While the above description has focused on the presence of one or morewireless transceivers in the consumer pod portion of the adaptor, thisis not required by the present invention. In alternative embodiments,the consumer pod portion could feature one or more contact-basedinterfaces for interacting with a consumer transaction card or smartcard. One example of such a system is a modular-based docking port for asmart card. Other embodiments could include both wireless andcontact-based transceivers.

In addition to the wireless or contact-based transceivers justdescribed, an adapter in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention could further comprise one or more additional specializedinterfaces. Examples of such additional interfaces include but are notlimited to a keyboard permitting the entry of psychometric devices suchas a personal identification number (PIN) pin pads, and SMS transfer ofPIN, bio-metric devices such as finger print, iridology, voice printanalyzers, driver's license identifications, or transconductance cardscurrently being developed, and devices for reading code sets such as barcodes, UPS-type 3-D codes, moiré-pattern codes, and drivers licensemagnetic strips and holograms, and SIM/WIM/UIM subscription identifierchips typically used in cellular PTD devices. One or more of theseinterfaces, alone or in combination, could require additionalverification or authentication of the user, thereby adding levels ofsecurity to the transaction.

As shown in FIG. 1, consumer pod portion 16 is in electricalcommunication with merchant pod portion 18 through cable 20, although inother possible embodiments the consumer pod and merchant pod couldcommunicate according to infrared or another medium. Merchant pod 18comprises module 26, affixed to the external housing of the readerdevice. Module 26 encloses magnetic field-generating element 70 alignedwith Track 1 reader head 10 a and Track 2 reader head 10 b of device 2.Merchant pod 18 may be affixed to the reader device by any one of avariety of approaches, including adhesive glue or tape.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified exploded view of module 26 of M-pod 18. FIG. 2shows that the magnetic field-generating element 70 comprises a Ferritecore 72 encircled within separate inner coil 74 and outer coil 76,having first and second ends 74 a-b and 76 a-b respectively. First ends74 a and 76 a are housed within cable 20 and communicate with Track twoterminals of power source(s). Second ends 74 b and 76 b are housedwithin cable 20 and communicate with Track one terminals of a powersource(s).

In the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 2, core 72 comprises a ferriterod having a thickness of about ⅛″ and a length of about 1″. Inner coil74 comprises 30 gauge copper wire with a winding of about 80 turns/inch.Inner coil 74 is wound twice over the full length of the rod. Outer coil76 also comprises 30 gauge copper wire with a winding of about 80turns/inch. As shown in FIG. 2, inner coil is wound from the center ofrod half-way to either end. Due to the increased number of windings ofinner coil 74, application of the same amount of current to inner coil74 will produce a magnetic field of greater intensity than the fieldproduced by outer coil 76.

During operation, the adapter exploits a number of features of theconventional magnetic stripe card reader to selectively communicate withthe data recovery circuits of the different reader heads. First, theheads of a conventional magnetic stripe reader are configured to operateasynchronously, triggered by receipt of initial strobe information.Second, the heads of the conventional magnetic stripe card readerexhibit a differing sensitivity to an external magnetic field. Thiscombination of features may be relied upon by the adapter to communicatewith the reader head as follows.

The following discussion of operation of the adaptor according toembodiments of the present invention relies upon information taken fromthe ISO standard 7811, which is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

As mentioned above, the data recovery circuits of both the Track 1 andTrack 2 reader heads are configured to expect transmission of thecontinuous data package based upon receipt of a predetermined number ofleading signals, or strobes. Initially, the flow of current through theinner coil of the adaptor generates a magnetic field conforming to sucha strobe pattern, thereby priming the reader device to expect anincoming data signal. The timing of the strobe pattern falls within thevelocity range of the signal expected to be received from a magneticstripe card being swiped through the magnetic stripe card slot.

The two data recovery circuits, for Track 1 and Track 2, exhibitdifferent sensitivities to an applied magnetic field. The card accountnumber data stored on Track 2 of the magnetic stripe card is referencedin almost all transactions. By contrast, the user identification datastored on Track 1 is considered less essential, and is not referencedfor all transactions. Accordingly, the Track 1 reader head 10 b istypically configured to detect an external magnetic field approximately20 db more sensitive than the Track 2 reader head. The typical lowersensitivity of the Track 2 head ensures that recovered Track 2 dataexhibits a high signal to noise ratio and thus greater accuracy, andcorrelates to a minimum velocity of the magnetic card slid past theheads.

Moreover, §9.2 of ISO specification 7811-2 indicates that the Track 1data recovery circuit is configured to receive data having a density of8.27 bits/mm (210 bits per inch), while the Track 2 data recoverycircuit is configured to receive data having a density of only 2.95bits/mm (75 bits per inch). Since Track 1 and Track 2 have differentdata rates, their recovery circuits are typically asynchronous innature. In particular, Track 1 and Track 2 recover their own individualclock and data, and typically share a common card read strobe.

Embodiments of adaptors in accordance with the present invention exploitthe asynchronous nature of the Track 1 and Track 2 data recoverycircuits, together with differing characteristics between them, in orderto selectively communicate with the two reader heads. In accordance withone embodiment of the present invention, a different sensitivity ofTrack 1 and Track 2 to an external applied magnetic fields may be usedto accomplish such selective communication.

FIG. 3A shows a perspective photographic view of a conventional readerdevice having heads positioned on the side of the slot distal from thekeypad, equipped with an inductor module in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B shows a simplifiedcross-sectional view of the system of FIG. 3A.

During operation of the adaptor, when communication is desired with themagnetic head(s) of the reader device, a first current is initiallyflowed through outer coil 76. As a result of this first current flow,inductor element 72 generates a magnetic field. This magnetic field issufficiently powerful to activate the card present circuit (i.e. providethe expected strobes) and communicate with the more sensitive datarecovery circuit (typically of the Track 1 head). However, this magneticfield is not sufficiently powerful to communicate with the lesssensitive data recovery circuit (typically of the Track 2 head).

Once module 26 has successfully communicated with Track 1 head 10 b, theflow of current to through outer coil 76 is halted. With no interruptionin transmitted data signals, a current is then flowed through inner coil74.

As a result of this current flow through inner coil 74, a magnetic fieldrecognizable by the Track 2 data recovery circuit is generated.Typically, the greater number of windings of inner coil 74 result ingeneration of a more powerful magnetic field, which activates the lesssensitive data recovery circuit of the Track 2 head.

The more powerful field emitted by the inner coil serves to activateboth Track 1 and Track 2 data recovery circuits. However becausecommunication to the Track 1 circuit has earlier been initiated andcompleted, this subsequent communication to the Track 1 circuit isignored by the POS, and the Track 2 data communication is received tocomplete the packet of continuous data.

The embodiment of the communication method just described initiallygenerates an less powerful field to communicate with the more sensitivereader head, and then generates a more powerful field to communicatewith the less sensitive reader head. However, embodiments of the presentinvention are not limited to this particular approach. In accordancewith alternative embodiments, a magnetic reader device may be configuredto first recognize and read the more important Track 2 information, andonly then receive and process the less important Track 1 information.Selective communication with multiple heads of such a reader devicecould be accomplished by initially generating a more powerful field tocommunicate with both of the heads, the device configured to initiallyreceive only Track 2 data sent to the less sensitive head. Thereafter, aless powerful field could be generated to allow only the more sensitivehead to receive a second portion of a continuous data packetcorresponding to Track 1 information.

An adaptor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention maybe configured to be attached to the housing of any type of conventionalmagnetic stripe card readers. Examples of known POS magnetic stripe cardreaders to which a plate may be created to facilitate contact include,but are not limited to, the TRANZ and OMNI systems of VeriFone, Inc. ofSanta Clara, Calif., the T7, T8, and ICE systems of Hypercom Corporationof Phoenix, Ariz., the NURIT 2085 and 2080 systems of Lipman ElectronicEngineering Ltd. of Tel Aviv, Israel, the SUREONE and SUREPOS systems ofInternational Business Machines Corp. of Armonk, N.Y., the ELITE systemof INGENICO of Cedex, France, the MAGIC system of SchlumbergerSema ofNew York, N.Y., the 8000 series of INTELLECT of Brussels, Belgium, andthe PAYWARE system of the Trintech Group Plc. of Dublin, Ireland.

While the above description has focused on the presence of separate anddiscreet consumer pod and merchant pods with interconnecting cable, thisconfiguration is not required by the present invention. In alternativeembodiments, the consumer pod portion could be integrated into themerchant pod portion, creating a complete and single-piece unit. Oneexample of such a system preference would be for merchants with magneticPOS reader systems conveniently located on the transaction counter andwithin reach of the consumer's PTD. Alternate embodiments could includepositioning the separate M-Pod and C-pod components remote from themodule that is in magnetic communication with one or more heads of thecard acceptance system reader. Another alternate embodiment couldinclude the positioning of a single piece integrated C-Pod and M-Poddevice remote from the module that is in magnetic communication with oneor more heads of the card acceptance system reader.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A-B depict a conventional magneticstripe card reader bearing an adaptor positioned as described above.However, other types of magnetic stripe card reader devices featuremagnetic reader heads positioned at different locations within thereader device.

Accordingly, FIGS. 4A-B show perspective and cross-sectional views,respectively, of an embodiment of a system in accordance with thepresent invention wherein the heads of the magnetic stripe card readerdevice are positioned on the same side of the slot as the keypad.Accordingly, module 26 is positioned on the external housing next to thekeyboard, aligned to overlie the reader heads. Apart from the differencein spatial orientation of the inductor relative to the two reader heads,operation of this adapter embodiment is fundamentally the same as withthe device shown in FIGS. 3A-B.

An inductor structure of an adapter in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention would be expected to generate a magnetic fieldhaving sufficient intensity to couple with the magnetic reader headacross the thickness of the housing. However, the magnetic fieldproduced by the inductor structure should not be so strong as tosaturate the head, cause inter-track noise, or cause unwanted couplingwith other components of the POS equipment. Thus in particularembodiments, the inductor element would be expected to operate togenerate a magnetic field having an intensity received at the readerhead(s), equivalent to emulate magnetic card domains falling within thespecified range for magnetic stripe cards.

While the above description has focused upon an inductor elementconfigured to generate magnetic fields of different strengths accordingto a number of windings of a wire coil, this is not required by thepresent invention. In accordance with alternative embodiments, magneticfields of different strengths could be generated by an inductor elementutilizing currents of different magnitudes, and/or utilizing corematerials having a different size or ferromagnetic character.

And while the above description has focused upon selective communicationwith different reader heads based upon their differing sensitivity toexternal magnetic fields, this is also not required by the presentinvention. In accordance with alternative embodiments, characteristicsother than sensitivity of a magnetic head to an applied magnetic fieldcould be exploited to provide selective communication. The followingTABLE summarizes a number of differences of attributes of TRACKS 1 and2.

TABLE ATTRIBUTE TRACK 1 TRACK 2 data packet size (bits) 7 5 data packetcontent alphanumeric numeric maximum number of characters 79 40 bitdensity (bits/mm) 8.27 2.95 maximum distance from card to lower edge5.79 9.09 of track (mm)In light of the above TABLE, alternative embodiments of an adaptor inaccordance with the present invention could recognize and exploit someof these attributes of the reader heads configured to read these tracksin order to accomplish selective communication.

Given the above detailed description of the present invention and thevariety of embodiments described therein, these equivalents andalternatives along with the understood obvious changes and modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

1. An adaptor for a magnetic stripe card reader comprises an inductorelement comprising a rod of ferromagnetic material comprising ferriteencircled within a conductive coil, the inductor element configured tobe positioned near a magnetic stripe card reader, and configured togenerate a magnetic field of sufficient strength to penetrate a housingof the magnetic stripe card reader and activate a data recovery circuitin electronic communication with a head of the magnetic stripe cardreader, wherein the magnetic stripe card reader further comprises asecond magnetic head, the adapter further comprising a second conductivecoil, and wherein the second magnetic reader head exhibits reducedsensitivity to an applied magnetic field than the magnetic head.
 2. Theadaptor of claim 1 wherein the second conductive coil exhibits a fewernumber of windings than the conductive coil.
 3. The adaptor of claim 1configured to be mounted against a side of the magnetic stripe cardreader.
 4. The adaptor of claim 1 configured to be mounted on a top ofthe magnetic stripe card reader.